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Rivalry brings out the spirit
It was a classic showdown between two city rivals — George Wythe and Huguenot high schools.
Dr. Bedden gets 2-year extension
The Richmond School Board presented Superintendent Dana T. Bedden with an early Christmas gift Monday when six of its nine members voted to extend his contract by two years — through June 30, 2019. The extension comes midway through Dr. Bedden’s initial 3½-year contract that began Jan. 13, 2014, and was scheduled to expire on June 30, 2017.
Henrico church sends water filters to Flint
When members of Mountain of Blessings Christian Center in Henrico County learned about the water contamination in Flint, Mich., they decided to pitch in to help residents living through the crisis. Pastor Dimitri Bradley Mountain of Blessings first reached out to the Victorious Word Church in Flint after he learned the church was in need of assistance. He also wanted to assist other residents of the predominately African-American community, 40 percent of whom live in poverty.
Program aims to dismantle school-to-prison pipeline
One hundred and forty-nine students were arrested in Richmond Public Schools during the 2014-15 school year, according to Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham. Of those, 59 were arrested for disorderly conduct, offenses that included not sitting down in class or using profanity toward a teacher, he said.
NAACP officials call for continued probe into Chesterfield woman’s death
Richmond private investigator Perry Hicks began probing the mysterious disappearance and death of Ogechi Sarah Uwasomba three months ago at the behest of the Richmond NAACP and other concerned parties.
McDonnell seeks to discredit prosecution's case
The ex-governor and his defense team quickly went to work to shoot holes in prosecutors’ claims that Mr. McDonnell participated in a secret gifts-for-political favors scheme while in office.
State looks to expand youth voter participation
Thanks to a little-known law, many 17-year-olds in Virginia can have a voice in which Democratic or Republican candidate is selected to represent their party in the 2016 presidential election. The state law allows 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by the Nov. 8, 2016, election to register in advance and vote in the state’s 2016 presidential primaries on March 1.
Scout leaders step down after more than 50 years
Gladys Lewis and Anna Washington have faithfully led the Girl Scouts troop at their church, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on North Side, for more than 50 years. Through their selfless service, the Richmond residents have helped hundreds of young girls fulfill their scouting dreams. They will officially step down as troop leaders Sunday, March 13, the day they are to be honored in a 10:30 a.m. ceremony at the church at 2900 Hanes Ave.
NFL team chaplain to speak Aug. 4
The Rev. Brett Fuller, chaplain of the Washington professional football team, is to speak Tuesday, Aug. 4, at a luncheon for Richmond area faith leaders during the team’s training camp in Richmond.
Designs for Broad St. rapid transit unveiled
Travelers along Broad Street will see a far different thoroughfare through the heart of the city in October 2017. That’s when the highly anticipated bus rapid transit known as “GRTC Pulse” is scheduled to whisk riders along a 7.6- mile route from Willow Lawn in the West End to Rocketts Landing in the East End.
A song and a prayer
Musician starts campaign linking prayer and healing
One year after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, James Johnson Jr., the minister of music at Cedar Street Baptist Church of God in the East End, is releasing a song and initiating a national prayer campaign. Both are called “Agree.”
School bus plan raises safety concerns
Tara Spencer stands on her porch in the Creighton Court public housing community each school day and watches as her 12-year-old daughter, Japria, waits about 20 yards down the street to catch the bus to Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School where she is a sixth-grader.
Fourth Baptist’s pastor leads by faith activism
Dr. Emory Berry Jr. calls himself a “walking miracle.” The 38-year-old is celebrating his fifth anniversary as pastor at Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond. When his mother was pregnant with him, doctors at a Miami hospital urged her to terminate her pregnancy because of health complications, he said. Instead, he said, his mother had faith that God would allow her to deliver the child safely and that he would make a difference in the world.
Name suggestions pouring in for former Byrd Middle School
As Henrico schools officials launch the process to rename the former Harry F. Byrd Sr. Middle School, the names of several African-Americans who have notably served the community have emerged as possibilities. Among them:
A mother’s grief
Catherine Uwasomba seeks clues, answers to her daughter’s disappearance, death
Catherine Uwasomba seeks clues, answers to her daughter’s disappearance, death
Organization aims to improve health in state
Keisha Smith is on a mission to provide better access to health care for all Virginians, particularly in underserved communities such as Richmond. She aims to do so in her new position as the executive director of the Henrico County-based Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority.
Hillary Clinton speaking at Jefferson-Jackson Dinner
When Hillary Clinton spoke at the Democratic Party of Virginia’s annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond in February 2008, most of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus supported her opponent — Barack Obama — who also spoke at the event.
Chief Durham: ‘This is not Ferguson’
“This is not Ferguson.” That was the assessment of Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham on Aug. 6, a day after Keshawn D. Hargrove, 20, was shot and killed by a Richmond Police officer in the alley beside DJ Market and Deli at Cary and Meadow streets in the West End.
Trailer park on auction block
Rudd’s Trailer Park owner Ronnie Soffee said that he has scheduled an auction in March to sell the 9.2-acre South Side property that members of his family have owned and managed since 1936. The once bustling community at 2911 Jefferson Davis Highway has long served as a home to many of the city’s most vulnerable and those in poverty.
